Letter to the Editor - RE: "Jessica's Law Not Working"

As submitted to the Sacramento Bee on March 4, 2008

Dear editor:

This letter is in regard to the March 4 editorial, “Jessica’s Law Not Working.”

Apparently, the Sacramento Bee’s vision for California’s public safety is to allow sex offenders to roam free without GPS monitoring and live next door to schools; the Bee’s vision seems to also include denying prosecutors the ability to move forward with court proceedings that would keep more sexually violent predators in mental health institutions and off our streets.

Clearly the voters do not share the same vision and that’s why they overwhelmingly passed Jessica’s Law in 2006. I believe they know that Jessica’s Law is largely successful and should not be scrapped as the editorial suggests.

Sure, two provisions – living restrictions and GPS – have been sluggishly implemented, but they have not failed. But let’s not forget the other 31 provisions that have worked, including increased penalties for sex crimes and stricter standards for determining sexually violent predators, which means sex offenders spend more time in prison and state mental hospitals and less time in our neighborhoods.

If adjustments to Jessica’s Law are necessary, I can assure you as one of its authors the Legislature can step in with “clean up” language. But giving greater freedom to sex offenders is not the answer.

Sincerely,

Sen. George Runner
17th Senate District